Monday, October 07, 2013

The Giveaway # 1 -- paying it forward

This post was to be written on Mahalaya. But wasn't.

That is okay.

That does not take away the joy from this post. We are still hanging around Tritiya, the 3rd day of Navratri, which I think is a good time to say what I want to say. Which is that I wanted to talk about this guy.

I live in a bubble and had not heard of Nipun Mehta until his recent speech at Harker's. His motto in life "to live simply, love purely, and give fearlessly" , seems to be so simple that you might think, "Yeah. So?" But then when you read about his "gift-economy" you might roll your eyes at his Utopian ideals and yet understand deep within that what he has done is not easy to pursue. Now, I really don't know the details beyond Wikipedia and his site of how he sustains himself in this mode and if he already has some kind of a support structure to do what he does. What I know is, I will never have the courage to do what he has done. And yet, I would love to.

His idea of "doing a small act of kindness"and "paying-it-forward" is something that is probably imbibed in all of us but might be so deeply hidden that we don't get to show it everyday. This festive season, let us try to dig up that hidden gem and do just that. Small acts. Random nice acts. Anything to put a smile on the face of a stranger.

You all have shown me enough kindness when you supported me from all corners of the world for my book. You reviewed, left comments, constructively criticized and spread the word. You bought copies of my book, gifted them and came back to tell me all about it. To a bystander it might all seem very natural and matter-of-fact. But for a first time author, you all showed me immense kindness.

Now is my time to say "Thank You". If you want to play the "Pay-It-Forward" game, you are very welcome to spread your random act of kindness to people around you.

Here is all that you are going to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post. Mention your e-mail id and finish this statement "My random act of kindness was/will be _________"
2. If you don't want to finish the statement, that is okay too, just leave a comment and your e-mail id.
3. Tell your friends and get them to join too.
4. Giveaway closes on October 14th.

Here is what I am going to do:

1. I will pick one random person from the ones who comment on this post.

2. That person will get a signed copy of my book

3....and an Amazon gift card worth $25

4. I will alsocontribute $25 towards the charity selected by him/her. The contribution will be made under the winner's name and not mine.Note: The charity should be a registered one, non-religious and should be able to receive online payment.

**The Amazon gift card is a global card and can be used wherever you are. However depending on your location Amazon may or may not ship certain things. That you can check with Amazon.You can also use it for buying digital entertainment stuff like apps and books for kindle.

this year I sent clothes for few children to a NGO at kolkata..not sure of act of kindness..but it sure felt really good when i saw the faces with the smile which was thousand times more beautiful than any precious thing I ever had ...would love a signed copy of your book,will be precious ..!!

It is Durga Puja time here in Kolkata & my random act of kindness was giving away my old dresses to young kids on the streets.. The smiles that I saw were priceless & made me wish if I could have more things to distribute.. By the way, also being a silent reader wanted to take this opportunity to say,, both your recipes & writing are exceptional & inspiring.. Keep it up.. shreyab121@gmail.com

I am no biggie, and this is not constrained to Durga Pooja. I am not posting this comment here to win a prize or to boast around - the sole purpose is to create a know how for more like me. My random act of kindness is to donate breast milk to a local breast milk bank. I am a breast feeding mom, and like many other women, I sometimes produce more than what my baby needs. I pump out all the surplus, freeze it and drop it at a NICU nearby, where fragile and sick infants who are struggling for life without any access to their unfortunate Mom's breast milk can be fed... I get goose bumps as I write this - I certainly do not have words to express the satisfaction that I get through this act... somewhere some baby is gonna make it to this world using my milk! Amen.

That is really a wonderful thing to do and am sure many people did not know that it can be done so thanks for sharing the knowledge. I am not sure what you meant about "prize" etc., so please let me know if you don't want to be included in the giveaway. Else leave your e-mail id for contact.

Oh, I would love to win that signed copy of your book.. I am an ardent follower of your blog, and I cannot sleep a sound sleep until I try each vegetarian recipe you post (yes, am a veggie)! My email id is sheetalbudhraja@gmail.com

Back in Mumbai, when I had just started working and had to travel in the over-loaded BEST busses.. I remember all those times when older ladies would board and have no place to sit obviously.. My random act of kindness was to offer them my seat every time I see them..and travel standing till the end of my trip.. Although tiring but this daily routine was more fulfilling than anything else !! I hope those ladies remember me.. I can vaguely remember their wrinkled faces.. and shoulders dropping down with heavy bags full of stuff that they needed to sell either in the local trains or the street corner to feed/support their families.. Undoubtedly they deserved at least the comfort of traveling in the bus sitting.. Love love love your blog.. sudhashreedas@gmail.com

Everyone's life is a struggle; we just can't see that. So whatever we do to lighten someone else's load is a random act of kindness, although I don't like the word "random." I try my best to make this an integral part of my life. What makes someone's life a little easier, or makes them a little more comfortable, or makes them feel at home, I try to do that. My sister once told me "don't be not helping" and those are the words I try to live by.

Though often we all, and particularly women, need to remember to do random acts of kindness for ourselves as well.

Dont know if this amounts to any kind of kindness but still I will share it. My random act was kindness was to gather a lot of tribal children in a remote village and show them Bee and Tangled till my laptop battery died out. My work takes me to tribal areas all the time but dealing with kids is never a part of it. This was just to see their happy faces and smiles. My translation was not perfect, but the absolute joy in the moment was. I absolutely love your blog and so does the Bengali BF. Thank you Bong Mom. pratyasharath88@gmail.com

Hay there,Nice of you to put this out. Wishing you all the joys of this festive season. May you have a great time with your loved ones. I studied at Loreto Convent and kindness was imbibed in our existence. There were times later in life when I relied on my professional knowledge and social knowledge to do the right thing, even though it was not kind. Consoling myself saying 'I need to be strong'. I wish being kind would be easier...Your Ol friend!

I don't know if this counts as a random act of kindness - was going to work and nearly stumbled on this little kitty. She didn't have other kitties around nor a mom. I picked her up and got her to the litter near my place. Although she seemed a little older..but went along fine. I think it was the kitty mom who was being kind! Nevertheless, my email is rreetuparna@gmail.com

My random act of kindness was to pay for the ticket of a little boy who got into the bus (must have been in class 1 or so) by himself and told the conductor that he had forgotten the money at home. The conductor told him to get the money the next day, but the boy said, I will get down here since I am scared of the ticket checker who comes sometimes. Well, the conductor did try to convince him to stay, and then I told him, chalo I will pay for you today (It was only Rs. 5 to be honest here) and he was like no no aunty, my mom will scold me. And I said 'its okay, we often see each other in the bus, so you can always pay me back' and the best part was, the boy met me after a week, remembered to return the money.

Nothing dramatic like many people, but the act make me feel good. and more importantly, it was nice to see a boy who at the age of 6/7 was so honest :)

My random act of kindness, mmm okay I won't call that gesture a 'kindness' coz don't want to attach too much importance on that. It was around last weekend, I was shopping in a local market, when a street child came to me and asked for 1rs. I said I don't have 1 rupees and went to a shop bought a 10 rupees creme biscuit packet and gave it to him. He was so happy that he kept on saying bbye and waved his hand till I was not in him sight anymore. I was sad and not happy ...

Hello Sandeepa I won't say that it was kindness. Everyday I saw them by the streets -- one old lady with her dog and one man beside her. One day I was going to one of my friends place for lunch. That time I was just crossing them and felt that at this time of day they would also feel hungry like me. So I went to the nearest Mc Donalds and bought two burgers for them. I din't have much money so I could not buy a combo meal or anything like that.The smile they gave me and expressed their happiness by saying 'Danke Schon' (Thank you) . That was one of the moments I'll remember always. When a person is happy because of me that makes me very happy indeed. I did it because I wanted to feel happy by taking blessings from them and from the GOD. So will you say it was kindness or rather selfishness of wanting to be blessed? Am looking forward to have your opinion about this.....

My random act of kindness was just yesterday when I gave a brand new TV that I received as a gift to a work colleague who has 4 kids and had mentioned a few times that they fight for TV. I realized the TV for me was not a Must have, it was just good to have. So I gave it away to him.

What a great giveaway. My random act of kindness was to donate all my son's pull ups and diapers to a diaper bank started by two local moms. There are so many in our community who are struggling to fill basic needs.

Our school had taught us to do one random act of kindness everyday. While travelling in buses, it was giving up seats for elderly ladies, buying food on the way to work and dropping it off wherever I saw a needy face, cooking for one month for a very sick friend who was alone - these are a few. The smiles and thank yous I received were mine to keep as blessings. But I remember one act of kindness by someone else, which is etched in my soul, a lady who is by no means rich, gave up 90% of her savings to the community, for greater good. I never did that!! I didn't give away 90% of everything that I own! Love reading your blog and your recipes are what I cook, period.My email id: momofoneboy02@yahoo.com

My random act of kindness was when I took a panhandling street urchin to the roadside food stall and bought a meal for him, instead of giving him money, which would have done nothing to put the smile on his face as his full belly did!

My random act of kindness was when I used to teach the little daughter of our kaajer maashi while she helped my mom with household chores. I wouldnt say it was "kindness" really, it was very humbling to see the little girl trying overcome all the hardships of life with her eagerness to learn...My email id is: swagata.bhattacharjee@gmail.com. I am a silent reader of your blog, this is my first comment, and I'd take this opportunity to thank you for sharing the brilliant bengali recipes that helped me satisfy my craving for homemade bengali food.

My random act of kindness was to help my mom teach all the maids and their kids who came to our house to be able to read and write...most were illiterate and could only thumb print their way through life...my mother's mission was literacy for all... she also was a wonderful cook and many of her authentic recipes live with me today...this is why I love you blog...nice to be able to come to you for the authentic barir ranna...kmukher1219@yahoo.com

A small story about a ranna-r mashi whom I met at my mama-r baari (seeing her from my childhood, if I recollect)... who is always working hard to make our life a better one. I still remember the day she saw me for the first time, hugged me tight and called out "mona". She is part of our family now. And very interesting to see how my maternal relatives consider her a part of them. She helps my mashi in all the household chores, grocery shopping - EVERYTHING. She eats in the same table as we, sleeps in the same bed as my mashi, attends all vacation and picnic parties with us and equally takes part in any household decision.

Felt like sharing with you all this unconditional bond of love shared between her and my maternal family.

My random act of kindness weighs too tiny in front of the infinite love she gives all of us. I always wanted to do something for her. As a pronami wanted to handover some money and say “tomaar jaa bhalo laage eitaa diye koro”. But, always thought she might take it the other way. So, instead opened an LIC account in her name to support her old age. A tiny drop, I would consider, in the ocean of kindness she carries in her heart.

Maashi, a pronaam from me in this pujo n always for all the unconditional love you gave me n my family ~

My random act of kindness was and will be to throw a warm smile at all especially when I am miserable for it is then that a person needs it most . Whats to know what is going on inside the other person? A smile can change everything. mona_gaur@hotmail.com

My random act of kindness was participating in the "Support a Child" program through Asha a few years back. It wasn't really 'kindness', but felt it was my small effort in trying to help a student. My email id is ghosh.suchismita@gmail.com. Have always been a great fan of your blog!

I love to give compliments - to random strangers or people who serve me in some capacity. I told a woman who passed me in the parking lot outside a grocery store that I loved her eye glasses. She smiled and thanked me. I told a man on a bicycle on my street that I loved the colour of his shirt; he did the same.It makes me happy and it makes them happy.

My random act of kindness is, I come to office everyday in an auto (almost 15 km), and almost everyday I give lift to a stranger. Thanks to my autowalla too who does not charge them a penny because he is being paid by me for that distance.

I too have been living in a bubble, perhaps an even smaller one, to have not heard of Nipun Mehta. Loved the concept and is truly such a simple way to extend a thank you. My random act of kindness is to be more 'human' towards each other and not be a stone. God has blessed us with a kind heart and a smart brain which we all need to use it well. My email id : amritavishal127@gmail.com

My random act of kindness was helping an old lady reach her home safely. I was in Class XI on my way to Maths tuition in a bus in the evening. The bus broke in the middle and this old lady was very puzzled and scared and asked me,"ei meye, amai ektu bari pouchhe debe?" " Can you please take me home?" She lived few stops after my tuition stop. I thought for a moment, and then helped her to auto stand, took the auto and dropped her at her house. Her daughter - in -law thanked me, praised me and fed me enough sweets to make me fat for my life. I felt very good on my way back. I went back home to face a very panicky and angry bengali mother (my tutor called home to tell I was absent). Convincing her was a whole different story!My email i.d. pocketfullofspices@gmail.com

My random act of kindness was when I helped a little street dog puppy that my PG owner brought in from somewhere.It was howling and crying all night, hid behind a couch. I didn't know it was for its mom or for food. I woke up at 2 in the night and fed it biscuits and water as biscuits were the only thing I had at that moment. I stayed to watch it eat as I kept providing biscuits one after the other. Finally, the poor thing slept peacefully. Next day, the PG owner returned it to its mother on our request.

My random act of kindness is to send a gift to a very special lady that works in a day Center for the homeless, I am also going to send several love letters to strangers the idea I got from the site moreloveletters.org :-) some time ago and it is very addictive :-) Your kindness has been noticed far and beyond, prepare yourself for the surprise of your life :-) sending you much love from the UK, Ana

I will say it again and again and again.....you write so well that wish my every day began with a piece written by you.You choose a topic which is all so well corelated towards the middle and at the conclusion, bringining in the most apt comparison at the start.Call it an act of kindness or whatever, its from the bottom of my heart and I mean every word I have written. I am now looking forward to a fiction!

I love your blog entries. Love the stories behind the recipees. Its so refreshing to read them.

I am not sure if this is random, but I cook (quick meals) for people I know who are feeling low. Just to let them know I care and I am praying for them. I have been working on being intentional in our fast paced life. Intentional in watching out for people in my social circle. Often people just fall from your radar and you later find out they had a rough time and no friend. So his is my act of kindness.

Love to get a copy of your book. If you pick me (which I pray you would ;) )my email is blessythayil@gmail.com

Hi San, best wishes for durga pooja! Good as always to catch up on your blog! I didn't get in touch when I was in the US, but there is a good possibility that I will be there again in some months and will definitely get in touch. I am going to send a link of your book to a Bong friend here, hope she enjoys it.

It's such a nice gesture on your part! I don't know whether it was a random act of kindness or the sense of duty that we should give back to our society whatever we can, last year, I had taught spoken English to employable youth as a volunteer under the 'Teach India' program run by Times group. And in this process of giving, I have received so much! This program is run by Times group in association with British Council and various NGOs. Volunteers are given 8 days' intense training about how to teach spoken English the 'non-traditional' way to the young crowd between 18-32 years of age. It is so encouraging to encourage the hesitant students with smiles and various other techniques even when they speak English wrongly. It is more encouraging to witness their progress day by day. At the end of 100 days program, I was amazed at the result- the students speaking fluently (even if not 100% correct English). They were 100% confident. It was my learning- how motivation, encouragement, warmth, rapport, smiles and all simple acts of connecting with the students can make them achieve something that I had considered impossible (in 100 days!) by then! And then, it is so satisfying to see their beaming faces with job offer letters from food chains and call centers in their hands at the job fair which is also organized as a part of the program. I learnt that day, while you give away, you yourself take so much!

Hi Sandeepa,First of all thanks a lot for such a thought provoking post.My email id is rbutai@gmail.com.Moreover, My random act of kindness were/will be when ever possible I donate my and my family member's used clothes and money to destitute, some charitable organizations, and some non-profit organizations like Goodwill Stores, Salvation Army or any other NGOs.

The list of 'My random act of kindness' is long but I like to think it as my random act of Happy ness for myself. I do not celebrate my only child's (autistic) birthday but every year I send the money to a interior village to distribute winter clothes and baby food among the children and old folks (my son's birthday is in December- very cold time of the year). It fills up my heart with happiness when I see picture of happy faces. Now it became a regular yearly event, not random anymore. I would never forget one of 'My random act of kindness' -it was real random. I read on newspaper a very touchy storey about this young lady who's feet and hands were amputated after an accident. The poor lady did not have money to get proper after treatment. Her little 8 years old boy was beside her hospital bed and promising his mother a wheel chair, some good food etc. to make her happy. I contacted the newspaper, the doctor and managed to buy the promised wheel chair, new clothes, good foods for this mom and son. Yes, the 'after' picture on the newspaper of the happy mom and son was something that I would never forget . I had tears in my eyes-may be it was for the joy of giving and making people happy. As I remained anonymous, still taking care of the boy's schooling and the mom's rehab. My festival is coming soon. My family decided not to have a big celebration but save the money and send it for treatment of a little girl who was a victim of torture as she was working as a house help in a city. (saw it on TV ) Don't want to make my list longer. I like your blog not only for good authentic recipe also for your sense of humor. It is a happy blog, did not want to post anything sad but just got emotional and poured it out. I feel good for having ability to do something for others, sharing with others with support of my lovely family. Thanks.sultana41@yahoo.ca

Being a volunteer member an NGO, I can't necessarily call this a random act-but I visited Kolkata from US this year and during my vacation I met with the founder of another NGO there who is working on children's health in slum areas and after coming back I worked with my NGO back here to fund their's work for the next year in Kolkata. If you pick me, I would like you to make the donation to AID Tempe (Association for India's Develeopment, Tempe, AZ chapter). http://tempe.aidindia.org/cms/

You are an amazing woman. I always feel better after reading your posts. Would love you book. My act of kindness is really too small in front of all the amazing things here - I pushed the cart of an old lady at the grocery store and helped her put her things in her car.

Sandeepa di, I am an ardent follower of your blog and now I have fallen in love with your book. My husband gifted me a copy of Bong Mom's Cookbook on my birthday and I finished reading the book within a single day. I am such a big, big fan of yours.Now coming to random acts of kindness, I remember one particular incident that happened when I was a kid. I was pandal hopping during the Pujas with my family, when I saw a frail old woman of my grandma's age begging for alms on the street. People were so busy enjoying the pujas that no one hardly noticed her. It was a common fashion for little girls in those days to carry small bags on their shoulders while pandal hopping. I was also carrying a similar small purse with very little money in it, maybe 5 or 10 rupees. I felt so bad for the granny that I gave my purse to her. She gave me a surprised look initially, but then she gave me a toothless grin and lifted her hand to bless me. I felt like the happiest person in the world. I still try to help people whenever possible, but this particular incident remains fresh in my memory.Wish you and your family a very happy durga puja. Stay blessed always.My email id is virgosumin@gmail.com

I spend more than half of my day today rescuing two dogs that had escaped from their home. I don't think I deserve anything special for this because I expect everybody to do the same for my dog, if this were to happen with me. Like you, I just hope that the happy owners of the dogs who I helped today would pay it forward.

Hi Sandeepa, I am a silent viewer of your page on Facebook, even though I follow your page and blog regularly (none-the-less, try your recipes quite religiously). I am a researcher in Australia, living on my scholarship. The day I started getting scholarship, my Maa asked me to keep some money aside for the next time I visit Kolkata so that she can offer Pujo to her mandir. But, instead of doing so, I started supporting a child in Africa who is an orphan and suffering from AIDS. Although the scholarship money is bare minimum for a single person's living, but I thought, thakur will bless me more for supporting this child who perhaps needs more care than I do. That kid is 5 years old now and started going to school.This was my random act of kindness which probably is not quite random...:) I wish you and your family a very happy Durga Puja. Email id: swati.ban2008@gmail.com

Hi Sandeepa....read you ech post ardently but was always to lazy to comment. I am a 21 yr old dentistry student, live away from home and drool over your lustworthy bong food pics which trigger memories of my mom's cooking. My act of random kindness is when I share my egg rolls, maach bhaja and other delish stuff with my 12 yr old sister as she hurriedly gobbles up her share and persudes me to give her a bite.I am smiling as i write this coz this is what happens when you have a kid sister around. :D

I believe in doing good as my mother always said" helping hands are better than praying lips" and this I love to do on daily basis....some thing or the other which can put a smile on the other persons face...be it little or something big.....as of today my friend is moving to another apartment,they are busy loading things....I cooked lunch for them and took smiles and love in return... feels good and a little example to my little daughter...Iam a silent reader of your blog and I love the way you can express your views in humble yet humorous way...Email Id is mail4anjum@gmail.comKeep up the good work..

My random act of kindness has become a regular thing now. On my way to office there is a fakir who stays on the footpath. I saw that the tiny temporary shelter that he had made housed at least 5-6 street dogs and about 7-8 cats and kittens. Curious I stopped by him one day and got to know he doesnt have a place to stay and stays there with his animals. whatever little he earns he feeds the cats and dogs. And that feeding is really in big quantity. The doggies get milk and biscuit. The cats get fish. Sometimes when he has money he buys them meat. myself being an animal lover it touched me what he was doing for those animals. whenever I have the chance to stop by I give him at least Rs. 500 to 700, clothes, last year in december i gave him a quilt and on festive occasions like Durga Puja I give him a box of sweets and money. I really feel that if some NGO or someone could help him out and his animals. They have a very hard time during the rains and winter.

Hello Sandeepa! Its been a while am following your blog and tried few recipes while I was in USA and it was of great help. I feel little weird writing about my own random act of kindness. I used to give free tuitions to children who worked at a nearby tea shop. They were child labours and never been to school. Wish u a very Happy Durga Puja. My email address - writetorumana@gmail.com

My most recent random act of kindness was. I found a brand new kindle on my way home. The kindle was linked to his amazon account. I found his name and contact details through that, contacted him and returned the device to him. Email address ghoshroshni@gmail.com

Errr...I will accept your entry but this act was more like the right thing to do than kindness :-) Don't get me wrong, what you did was really wonderful but also the only thing to do in that situation, right ?

My random act of kindness: Found a brand new kindle on my way home from work. It had the owner's amazon account linked with it. Found the owner through that and returned the device to him. Email id ghoshroshni@gmail.com

My random act of kindness was and will be donating money to CRY to sponsor food, education etc. for kids. First time I did it when I started working - I felt like now that I am earning I should give something back to the society for a good cause. And now that I am the mother of two little ones, I keep thinking more and more about those kids and their life.... My email ID is mausumiray@yahoo.com... chhoto byapare boro dhak petano hoye gelo.... shudhu tomar autographer lobh ey likhe fellam :-)

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About Me

Predominantly a Bong, who loves being a Mom and loves to cook among other things for the li'l one and the big ones.She loves to write too and you will find her food spiced up with stories. Mainly a collection of Bengali Recipes with other kinds thrown in, in good measure. A Snapshot of Bengali Cuisine